"If we look at the latter years, we are seeing improvement," Witherspoon said. "There is definitely growth

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Of the Birmingham schools on the state's list of failing schools, most have shown significant improvement in the last three years and four of those schools ranked above the failing school threshold last year, Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Craig Witherspoon said Tuesday.

"If we look at the latter years, we are seeing improvement," Witherspoon said. "There is definitely growth."

Of then 78 Alabama schools on the list of failing schools, Birmingham had 10 schools on the list.

Of those schools, Arrington Middle School, Robinson Elementary School, Hill Elementary School and Bush Middle School scored above the failing school threshold of the bottom 6 percent of schools last year.

However, the Alabama Accountability Act defines failing schools as those that have scored among the bottom 6 percent in three of the last six years.

That's unfair to schools that have worked hard and shown improvement, Witherspoon said.

"Let's look at the growth that these schools have made," he said. "We have got to get past a headline."